


Miscommunications

by MysteryMuse



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Broken Hearts, Grief/Mourning, Other, Sad Ending, Unhappy Ending, X tries to quit again, X6 was also the pits, X7 was the pits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-07-11
Packaged: 2018-02-08 09:05:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1934982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteryMuse/pseuds/MysteryMuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>X is Zero's navigator, shortly after the Zero Nightmare ends. It doesn't go very well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miscommunications

"Are you really sure about this?" Alia looked toward Signas with concern as they walked side by side through the halls of Hunter Base. "They're really not, well, communicating right now."  
  
"That might be so, but X insisted," Signas said, "And if it's the only way that he's willing to work alongside us, then we should at least let him try."  
  
Alia sucked in her breath. "Okay, but I'm just really worried... their synchronization is very off right now, and Zero might try to go it alone."  
  
Signas rubbed his chin. "He won't, he's too professional for that. But let's monitor the situation, and see what results. We can always switch them into a different configuration if we need to."  
  
"That's true, I guess." Alia's skepticism was still strong on her face as they entered the central comm room together. She sighed, and moved to the main console, at Signas' left.  
  
X was just starting to settle into one of the Navigation consoles, tapping his earpiece and extending a small microphone from it. Another of the Navigators was helping him set up his console as he did it, explaining how to work the touch screen and keyboard. The rest of the room contained a curious tension - most of the other Navigators were clearly trying to avoid looking obviously at X, but were sneaking long glances his way. X gently fiddled with a few controls, listening raptly and with wide-eyed attention, nodding occasionally as the other Navi indicated this and that button and panel. He was a fast learner, and soon had full mastery of the console.  
  
Alia pointedly cleared her throat, loud. "Eyes on screens, Navigators. We are five minutes to operation commencement. Secure channels and final systems checks now, please."  
  
X gulped, sucked in a breath, and turned himself forward to face his console. The comm room came alive with a flare of green and yellow flashes as the wireframes came up on monitors across the room, showing location data, marker info, visual feed, and scrolling text.  
  
Then everyone was too busy to worry about X.  
  


* * *

  
Zero sat in the Bee Blader with his eyes closed, arms crossed over his chest, body rumbling along with the chop of turbulence as the Blader passed through a rainstorm. He was anxious, and trying to hide it - it was the first time in years he'd gone out without the secure knowledge X was standing by, armed, to back him up. He told himself he was being ridiculous - that he could and had always managed perfectly well on his own - but his core wasn't buying it, and his chest felt tight and hot. The Zero Nightmare was just barely concluded, and then X had quit, and Zero was still stinging over a broad feeling of abandonment - of being punished - that the world had turned its back on him in some horrible, inexplicable way, and X's withdrawal was only further proof.  
  
Zero thought, _Maybe this is what I get for trying to stay alive._  
  
X's voice sounded, soft and tentative, breathy in his audials. "Zero, I can't see anything here when your eyes are closed." There was a faint sound of ongoing chatter behind him; the other Navigators establishing contact with their soldiers.  
  
Zero bit down several sarcastic responses and exhaled, opening his eyes. "Nothing to see yet, X." _You'd know that if you were here like you were supposed to be._  
  
There was a protracted Silence, lasting almost two minutes by Zero's clock, before X spoke again. "Two minutes to drop. Zero, I just want you to know, I really want to make this work for you. Please let me help you this way."  
  
The blonde shrugged while the heavy weight in his chest flexed itself, twisted and ground between his servos. "Worry about the mission, not me. I just want to get through this," he said, snappish, harder than he meant it to sound, and he winced a little inside, but the words were out and already gone.  
  
X didn't say anything for another minute and a half, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded bleached. "Thirty seconds."  
  
"Copy." Zero flung himself out of the Blader and let himself start to fall.  
  


* * *

  
X found himself gritting his teeth at the console. Zero wasn't doing anything wrong - technically - but X knew his partner's abilities inside and out, and he thought Zero was fighting with a surprising carelessness. Even for a melee, he was getting in too close to the Mavericks, and seemed to be avoiding or misperforming his most efficient techniques. His reactions were too slow. It was obvious even from a distance that Zero's heart was divided and not in the battle. X struggled and squirmed in his seat, trying desperately not to speak up - distracting Zero wouldn't have helped him, not when combat was already engaged - and also struggling with a powerful urge to just get up, lock on Zero's coordinates, and teleport in. Guilt slashed through him - agonizing, wrenching guilt. I _should be there. This is because of me. He wouldn't be like this if it weren't for me._  
  
Alia blipped X's comm, a tag opening in his HUD. "You okay, X? You're looking kind of pale."  
  
"It's Zero," X told her, turning at the console to look back at Alia, "I think we should pull him out. He's not fighting correctly, and I'm afraid he's going to end up getting damaged."  
  
Alia shot him a look that X found hard to read, before she shook her head. "We can't. There isn't anyone else available that has strong enough specs to fight these Mavericks. If we pull him out now, we could lose the whole team. X, you need to help Zero get focused however you can. We Navigators don't have the luxury of cancelling missions mid-stream."  
  
X pursed his lips. "Roger." He turned back to the screen, and watched carefully, waiting for a safe moment. Zero finally dispatched his immediate opponent and X pounced on the comm. "Zero, get to cover for a second. I want you to start using the Yammark and put some distance between yourself and the Mavericks. I'm sending you that weapon data now from my cache."  
  
"No!" Zero yelled back, as he darted behind a stone outcropping, with his hand on his ear. "I'm fine, X. Don't nitpick me in the middle of a fight." Plasma bolts seared past his shoulder, and he jerked himself down to narrowly avoid them.  
  
"Zero, you're putting yourself in danger needlessly! The Rakukojin is your weakest attack, and your Ensuizan isn't connecting properly. You keep going in too close, you don't have the space to execute the full sweep! You're going to get hurt!"  
  
"X," Zero hissed, "Just give me the enemy positions and let me deal with making combat decisions. Someone has to do the fighting here. If it's not gonna be you, either be useful or shut up." And with that, Zero wrenched himself back into the active fire, leaping savagely at the nearest Maverick and bisecting it with a flaming Shoenzan rising slash.  
  
X's fists clenched at the console, his face starting to burn. All he could do was watch, dreading every second.  
  
And then Alia sighed from the master console. "X, stand down. Zero's requested a Navigator swap."  
  
X stared at her. "N-no way."  
  
But the lead Navigator just gave him a sad, tired look. "Cursor, take over navigation for Zero. See if you can calm him down, his yelling is giving me a headache."  
  
X felt his face going even hotter, and he shook his head slowly, turning back toward the monitor in disbelief.  
  
 _Zero, I didn't mean for you to..._  
  
A hand landed on X's shoulder, and he turned to see Signas looking at him- kindly, but with an aspect of distance. "It's okay, you tried. It's just not really going to work out this way, X. I think Zero's just too angry, and maybe even grieving, even though you are trying to help him as much as you can. Give him time and let him work through it his own way. Even if that means he doesn't fight well for a while, or even gets hurt without you, he's the kind of Reploid that needs to process his feelings through his body. And we really don't have anyone else besides the two of you that can handle most Mavericks."  
  
X lowered his head, his shoulders falling. "I know, I just... I'm sorry. I just can't fight any more. After everything that happened with the Nightmares, the end of the Earth Crisis, so much death and suffering - it's just been too much."  
  
Signas exhaled. "I know, X. I think you should go take some downtime and try and relax. Nobody blames you for wanting to reassess your position after all that you've been through. You've already earned your peace many times over. But for now, I think you should leave the comm room."  
  
X tightened his back and saluted, eyes quivering. He tried not to feel like everyone was staring at him as he left. But on his way out the door, just before it slid shut behind him, X heard the bonechilling sound of Zero screaming over a monitor, and the scream was silenced by the sealing of the door lock.    

* * *

  
Zero woke up in Medical with his legs destroyed from the knees down and his memories a scramble. He remembered X's voice, telling him he needed to fight differently. Then some confusion... then a shot from out of nowhere, no warning, and finally pain, rage, silence.  
  
As Zero's eyes flickered back from static to blue clarity, X, who was sitting near, gently placed Zero's hand (which he'd been holding while Zero was down) back down on the bed at his side. "Zero." X looked miserable.  
  
Zero groaned at him, struggled to raise himself on his elbows. "X. Ugh, don't tell me you told me so."  
  
X's face crunched up into itself, his nose turning red. "I won't. But it's my fault you got hurt," he blurted out, "Because I wasn't there with you."  
  
Zero regarded him, and his lips went flat. "That's not the reason," he finally said, blunt. "Whether you fight beside me or not, if I get hurt, it's my own fault." He turned his head, eyes falling into shadow, under the long fringes of his blond hair. "I think I wanted to lose."  
  
"Zero!" X's hands flew to Zero's shoulders. "Don't say that! I don't... why would you say that?" X's eyes filled with a bright, hysterical light. "Don't ever talk like that!"  
  
"Why not?" Zero abruptly yelled, whipping his head back around and piercing X with a long, heartbroken stare. "I don't even know what I'm doing out there! I don't even know why I should bother! I was dead! The world brought me back as some kind of fucking scapegoat, everyone blames me for the Nightmare so much they named it after me, my parts were used like some kind of fucking lego blocks, and then you leave me out there to dry and I just...why, X? Why should I bother? Why should I care if I win or lose? I'm alone out there. I can't do this alone!" Zero's eyes slammed shut, and by the end of his outburst, his vocoder was so stressed the ends of his words were dragging out, clipping and popping, distorting.  
  
X pulled Zero against him, making a low, soft, sobbing noise. "Oh, Zero. No. No. You're not alone. I never wanted you to think that. Please, never." He started stroking Zero's hair, as he felt the blond begin to quiver against him. "Never, Zero. I'm not abandoning you. I would never abandon you. You are the only person I can ever count on in this world, ever. The only person I trust. After everything... never."  
  
Zero wrapped his arms around X - after a hesitation - but his grip was hard, clingy, almost clutching; he was trusting X not to let him crash back into the table, letting X hold his weight. "Then fight with me," Zero pleaded, his voice throttled with naked grief. "Stay by my side. Don't make me do this alone, because I can't. I can't."  
  
X pressed his cheek to Zero's, continuing to slide his hand along the back of Zero's head. "It hurts so much, Zero. I don't want you to suffer, I don't want anyone to suffer. But the fighting is too much for me right now. I can't do it. It's not because I want you to suffer, it's not because I want to see you fail or be hurt, but I can't be at peace with this. All we've done for so long is fight, and we're no longer making things better or protecting everyone, we're just killing them all off even faster. How many people survived the last two battles, Zero? There's almost no one left... the Earth is almost gone. We can't survive like this. Look what it's done to you. Look how many scars we both have inside and out. We have to stop. We could both stop. Maybe we both HAVE to stop. Together."  
  
The blond shuddered harder, bit his lip. "You know that's not going to work. That's a dream, that's all. Look, X, if I'd been destroyed today, would you fight then?"  
  
The question jolted X to the core. "I..." He had no answer. He didn't even know how to answer. He just pulled Zero closer, tighter. "You came back, so it doesn't matter."  
  
Zero let his head tip back, staring up into the overhead lights, his face going strange and still. "Yeah. I guess it doesn't." 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry this is so sad! I wanted it to be less so, but they really were a miserable pair in X7, and I felt like I needed to reflect that correctly. Good thing Axl comes along later to cheer them up!  
> Written as an answer to an ask on Tumblr. You can ask me for fic too (if you don't mind waiting a bit) - rowbutt.tumblr.com


End file.
